WHAT'S GOING ON...

Last Saturday we had a blast. The first BxArts Factory Block pARTy was a success and we can't wait to repeat it next year. I was live painting together with other 3 great artists. I chose Summer as the theme for the event and I always love seeing what other artists create from the same word or concept:from a "healthy juice" to Nina Simone, Everyone did a great job. Around 200 members of the community participated in the activities, talked to the artists and created amazing pieces of art.I have to find a way to get more community members to come and paint live with us, it is very interesting to see everyone's process when creating. How some people sketch in pencil and then paint everything at the same time, others sketch and then fill each line like if it was a paint by numbers coloring page, or like me, that I jus go ahead and start layering colors until I figure out what to do :)

I will be painting live celebrating so many changes this year! I got a studio space in the same building BxArts Factory has found it's first home. We are making our debut in the Melrose community and we are creating our first Block pARTy!Mark your calendars and join us on Saturday, August 10th on 3 to 6pm. We are celebrating all that we have accomplished, our new space, our new Melrose community and the future! In front of our studios/office at 240 E 153rd, (Between Park Ave. and Melrose Ave.) we will be taking over the block for some summer time and we want you and your family to be there! We will have music, street art, arts & crafts, games, poetry and performances for the whole family to enjoy! Save the date and join us for this FREE event we hope to see you there!!

In a few days my artwork Third Eye will be auctioned during the ArtBridge 6th Annual Spring Art Auction. The proceeds will benefit Arbridge's programs to support artists and transform public space. Since last year I've been working with them on a couple of projects for the beautification of the South Bronx. If you are thinking of acquiring some artwork from NYC talented early-career artists this is your chance!Tuesday, June 6th from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Get your tickets!

Third EyeMixed media mounted on wood panel44x16"2017

This triptych is part of the series "Nature is Watching You". My purpose is to make people reflect on how we treat Nature and subsequently the planet. We have to be more conscious of our acts and their consequences. I have been painting EyeFlowers for a couple of years. Nature, Ecology, Sustainability are very important to me, but we live in a world of consumerism and materialism where we forget to take care of our planet. I was raised in a conscious household. We didn't waste energy, we recycled and upcycled almost everything. U.S.A has a different mentality where everything is used and thrown away. I would like to change that, even if it's one person at a time.

Noir: Defining the Melodrama presents works by artists inspired by the genre film noir*. Artists in this exhibition revisit, re-imagine, appropriate and respond to iconography in noir that addresses current events, crime, urban life, gender roles, isolation and displacement through drawings, illustrations, painting, photography and video.

*Film noir genre generally refers to mystery and crime drama films produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Movies of this genre were characteristically shot in black and white, and featured stories involving femme fatales, doomed heroes or anti-heroes, and tough, cynical detectives. Other characteristics include low key or artificial lighting, scenes shot at night or under the rain, blurriness and voiced over narrations. The mood in noir films is often pessimistic, implying fear, treason or imminent danger.

I've been doing Paint Parties for a while. Last week, a friend asked me to facilitate one for her birthday. She is very creative with her birthday parties and loves painting and crafting. I created a special painting for the event, inspired in the fall, as she requested, I designed a cute warm peacock. Even though they started a little scared, the blank canvas is very intimidating, at the end of the night everyone had a great piece of art to hang in their walls. I am always so proud!!! It is very rewarding to see how they create something from nothing.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach a paint event at Mount Carmel Senior Center. We created a paint intended to create awareness on cancer. We had a great time sharing stories and talking about some of their experiences going through cancer. I want to thank the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau and to Bharati Kemraj, Bharati Foundation founder, who made this possible.Bharati named the art piece ‘Fight with a Flare’.

These are the pieces I customized this year for Argonaut Resins. Mariposa and Dragonfly are already at the NYC Comic-Con and I will join on Sunday painting live some more resin toys. I can't wait to be there again! It's such a great atmosphere, the people, the costumes, art everywhere... It is a pretty cool experience. If you are going to be there on Sunday, come visit us at booth 404 at The Block. You won't be disappointed :)

Today you can join me for the opening of the exhibition "Ad Astra" at Blick art materials store, 1 Bond Street, Soho, New York. It will start at 6 p.m. and it will go on until 8 p.m.

You all know my relationship with space and stars. Going to the roof at night with my father to set up the telescope and find different planets, nebulas and star clusters, was always an adventure.

Today I have a couple of [pieces I did as homage to Laika, the first animal sent to space, the first real cosmonaut. This Russian dog died in space, as well as many other animals sent after her before they started sending humans.

It's been a hard month but life goes on and we are back with our monthly Paint the Night Away events! This September our design will be a surprise (with flowers involved)!

Friday, September 9th at The Bronx Beer Hall from 7 to 10 p.m.

$35 ticket includes a FREE drink and ALL art materials. At the end of the night you will take home your own creation on a canvas! Buy your tickets here

This month we have a special treat! During our summer months, adults and children in the community have created designs on the aprons that you will use. It is a way for them to thank you for your financial contribution! You can have this specially designed aprons! You can purchase the apron you will use this evening for only $5.

This evening, all funds collected by BxArts Factory will support our Free Workshop Series for 2017! With your contributions we are able to purchase materials, support the artists facilitating the workshops and provide free of cost snacks for participants. We love our Free Workshops Series and we are happy to receive your support for our 3rd consecutive year of programming.

This summer I have been very busy, but I also had time to share time with friends and celebrate their happiness and successes. New babies on their way, wedding anniversaries, birthday parties. I like to give special gifts. I believe in creating memories, images that will last years and will bring you back to that moment. Instead of flowers, give a painting, instead of baby clothes that they will wear once, give some love...Stay cool and keep celebrating!